Red Is Here
by Semei-yuukei
Summary: Red's death has left Green stricken with grief. Blue and everyone else keeps telling him that Red is still with him, but how can he believe that? Red...is gone. Inspired from a quote from Big Hero 6, "Tadashi is here."


**A/N: This story wasn't intended to be this angsty, I swear. Halfway through, my brain apparently decided to just screw it and go with the flow. If it wasn't for the angsty feels welling up in me now I'd probably laugh at what I just produced.**

 **This was inspired from this one line in Big Hero 6, actually… "Tadashi is here."**

 **Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go curl up in a fetal position and sob for the rest of my life.**

* * *

During Red's funeral, Green hadn't spoken much. The ceremonies were a blur, and Green still had difficulty recalling what had happened. Faceless people had passed by, occasionally approaching him to offer their condolences and well-meaning words. During the eulogies, he'd barely registered what the priest and the rest of Red's family had to say about him, nor could he remember what he himself had to say.

Red had always been a hard worker. Almost too hard, some might say- and at his funeral, he'd proven them right. Though everyone knew that he exerted himself too hard, no one could have seen it coming when his lifeless body was discovered on Mt Silver. Worn down by his gruelling training and weak from hunger, it was no wonder the avalanche on the mountain had finished him off. His Pokémon had been no better off, either- some had survived the ordeal but others, like his Pikachu, had perished along with their trainer.

That first night without Red had been the hardest. Despite Blue's comforting words and assurances that Green would be okay, the truth was, he knew that he couldn't live without Red. Everything in his apartment reminded me off him- that stain in the carpet where he had once spilled coffee, the towel he used when he stayed over, the clothes that he had left behind by mistake. As Green unlocked the door and entered his apartment, he could almost believe that Red would be waiting on the sofa, ready to surprise him with those sudden visits he liked to make. But there was no Red here today. Red would never be there again.

"Red," Green whispered hoarsely, staring at the sofa. "Why? Why did you leave me all alone?"

 _I want to go back to Mt Silver._

That had been the trigger to everything going wrong, Green thought bitterly. If he had put his foot down and forced Red to stay, Red might still be alive. He wouldn't have to face the thought of coming home, day after day, with no more Red.

 _Red is here_ , Blue had told him. No matter how much tears he had shed and how many times he'd yelled at her, Blue had simply put her hand to his chest, looked at him, and told him that Red was there. But now, as he gripped his chest so hard that his hand started to shake from the effort, he knew that Red _wasn't_ here. No amount of wishing, crying and pretending could bring him back. Red would never sit on that sofa again, waiting for him to come home.

As Green turned away dejectedly and entered his room, he didn't hear the sudden creak that the sofa gave, or see the dent in the cushion that wasn't there before.

* * *

"Blue, what are you doing here?"

Green sighed, holding the door to his apartment open as the brunette gaily tripped inside. In her hand was a bag of lava cookies, a half-eaten cinnabar volcano burger and a packet of rage candybars.

"I'm here to visit you, silly! You should at least be grateful that I didn't come in by the window this time," she quipped, setting herself down on the sofa. She laid the food down on the coffee table and stretched out contentedly. "Oh, this feels good. I've been on my feet all day and you do not know how much I need a breather right now."

Green eyed her suspiciously, wondering what she was up to. He'd known Blue since they-her, Red, and himself- were kids, and he knew her well enough by now to know that she never did things on a whim. Blue was here for a reason.

"Blue, what are you really here for?" Green snapped.

"Touchy today, aren't we? You were a lot nicer when Red was around to keep you in check," she pouted. However, seeing the stricken look that had suddenly crossed Green's face, her smile faded and her gaze dropped to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know that this isn't easy for you. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"It's fine," Green replied stiffly. But inside, he was shaken up. He didn't need a reminder of how different he would be if Red were still alive. He sat himself down beside her on the sofa, and nodded at her to continue.

"Green…" Blue hesitated, as if she were unsure how to continue. "Have you ever felt anything…different around here lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been hearing strange things. About Red."

"What? I swear to Arceus, Blue, if they're saying shit about him-"

"It's not that," Blue cut in. The tension in her voice surprised Green, since she usually wasn't fond of being serious. Her blue eyes held confusion and uncertainty, as if she didn't really trust herself to continue. "Green… people have been seeing Red. In Pallet Town, at the Pokemon league, even up on Mt Silver. They're swearing up and down that he was there- then suddenly, he's gone. Vanished into thin air."

Green stared at her, shock written all over his features. "Blue, are you sure about this? People could just be making all this stuff up-"

"They say he seemed like he was watching for something. Or waiting for something." Blue interrupted. "But people could never get close enough to find out what. Whenever they try to approach him…he's suddenly not there anymore."

Blue broke off, gazing expectantly at Green. He was slumped against the sofa, a million different emotions playing across his face at once. Shock. Disbelief. Suspicion. Anguish. And yet… Blue could see a glimmer of hope there, too.

"Green, I came to you because all the places Red's been spotted in are places that meant something to him. His hometown, the place where he became the Champion, and the place where he lost his…"she broke off, biting her lip. "And…Red loved you. This place was important to him. I thought you might have seen him around here, too."

"Red's not here," Green replied flatly. "You shouldn't believe every little rumour you hear about him."

"But what if it isn't just a rumour? What if those people were telling the truth?" Blue demanded, her eyes flashing. "If Red really is there…he's there for a reason, Green. Don't you think we should at least check it out before dismissing it?"

"No."

"Green, don't be stubborn. Just come with me, we'll go look into it-"

" _Red is gone, Blue!_ "

Blue broke off in shock, her eyes wide as Green crumpled to the floor. His body was heaving violently, his arms wrapped around himself as he was wracked by gut wrenching sobs. As Blue got down on the floor next to him and gently wrapped her arms around the Gym Leader, he burrowed his face against her, staining her shirt with tears.

"Please, Blue… don't get my hopes up…" he whispered. "It's difficult enough already for me to keep living without him… if you try to get me to believe he really is still here, I'll…"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry…just let it all out, okay?" Blue said gently, patting his back. As Green's sobs lightened and he started to calm down, Blue helped him back onto the sofa. For a while, neither of them spoke. Green was much too keyed up to be good for anything at that moment, and Blue gave him time to collect himself.

"I understand if you don't want to hear about this," Blue said eventually. "But I'll be checking up on this all the same, so… if you ever decide you want to find out more, come find me, okay?"

With that, Blue gave Green a final pat on the head, picked up her bag, and left.

* * *

Today was the day of their anniversary. Red and Green's anniversary.

Green knelt by Red's grave, gingerly placing a bouquet of magnolia blossoms by it. As kids, the two had often played by a big magnolia tree in Pallet Town. As teenagers, the two had tried growing their own magnolia trees, but with little success. As teenagers, Green had presented Red with magnolias when he had confessed that he was in love with his best friend. Ever since Red's death, the just smell of magnolias was a painful reminder for Green.

"Happy anniversary, you idiot," said Green softly, kneeling down by the grave. Stretching out a hand, he gently ran his fingers over the carving of Red's name. As he looked at the slab of stone before him, he even managed a small smirk.

"You didn't get anything for me again this year, huh? Typical, since I was always the only one who bought presents for our anniversaries. You just believed that the best present was yourself."

Green's smile wobbled. "Guess you were right in the end, huh, Red? I always used to complain that you were just too lazy to get me anything, but you know what? The only anniversary present I want right now is you. Arceus, you don't know what I'd do to have you back here with me…"

A tear trickled down Green's face, and he roughly wiped it with his sleeve. Gazing back at Red's grave, he closed his eyes and wished with all his heart that Red was still with him…

 _Red is here._

Red is here. What a joke. That's always what Blue said, wasn't it? Other people had told him that too after the incidents where Red was spotted, long after his death. But he could never believe them. He had written everything off as falsehoods, and had switched off the television every time there was more news about the Red sightings. Eventually, the sightings had stopped, and the hype had died down.

How could people be so naive? Red wasn't here. Red was dead. He himself had seen Red's body being lowered into the grave. Red was long gone, and anyone would be delusional to think otherwise.

 _Red is here._

No, he's not. Quit it. Red was long gone, and there was no use thinking otherwise.

 _I am here, Green._

Green felt the touch of a small hand across his back, and his head whipped up. Next to him knelt a small figure, clad in a maroon coat and denim jeans. A figure that Green still knew by heart.

"Red?" Green whispered. "Is that really you?"

 _Yes, Green. It's me._ Red gave him a small smile. _All these years, I've been waiting. I missed you, Green._

"I missed you too, Red…" Green sobbed, throwing his arms around the smaller boy. To his surprise, Red felt solid- almost as if he was really there, that he had never passed away. "Why did you just leave me? Don't you know how alone I felt, and how much I felt like dying every day because you weren't there anymore?"

Red embraced the Gym Leader, hugging him tight. _I never left you. All this time, I have been by your side._

"What?" Green faltered. "But...you..."

 _I have been with you the entire time. Every day when you got home from work, I'd be sitting on the sofa, hoping you would see me. But you never did. You'd cry each time, believing I wasn't there, and it broke my heart. So, I started letting other people see me too, hoping that if they did, you eventually would as well._

"So…all those news reports back then…weren't made up?" asked Green, aghast. "You really were there?"

Red nodded sadly. Gently, he took Green's hand in his. _I was. I waited for you for so long to show up, Green. I wanted you to know that I was still here, looking out for you. But I couldn't keep it up forever. Eventually, other people stopped seeing me too._

"I…I didn't know…" Green stuttered, clinging onto Red's hand. "I'm so sorry, Red…"

 _I'm sorry too. That day on the mountain… I didn't go back up there just to train. It was the day before our last anniversary. There was a special kind of crystal flower up there that I'd seen before, and I wanted to get it for you. It was supposed to be my first anniversary present to you._

Red's eyes were filled with sadness, mirroring Green's. He brushed his thumb against Green's eyes, wiping back the tears that were starting to reform. _I'm so sorry, Green._

"You're sorry?" Green asked incredulously, his eyes filling with tears. "You lost your life for me, Red! I should be the one apologising. If not for me, you wouldn't have gone back there to begin with!"

Red said nothing, but simply looked at Green with that sad smile of his. His form flickered, and for a second, Green couldn't feel the warmth of his embrace at all.

"What's happening, Red?" Green faltered.

 _I can't be here for much longer. I've only managed to stay this long because I wanted to say good bye to you._

"Goodbye? But I've just found you again, Red- you can't leave me now!" exclaimed Green, wildly, grabbing for Red's hand. Instead of latching onto it, however, his hand passed clean through it.

"No!" Green cried. "Red, please…please don't go…"

 _Green, I want to give you something first. Open your hand._

Sobbing, Green opened his hand and Red placed a small, shining object in it, and then gently closed it again. As Green looked up at Red, his heart lurched as he realised that the raven-haired boy was fading right before his eyes.

 _Remember, Green…I'll always be with you, no matter what._

The last thing Green saw was the deep crimson eyes that he knew and loved so much. The next moment, Red was gone.

* * *

Six months later, Green decided to pack up his things and move to Hoenn. Apparently there was an opening for a gym leader there, and Green had decided to give it a shot. Besides, Kanto held too many painful memories of him. He wanted to start afresh.

"I'll really miss you, Green," said Blue forlornly, watching as the former Viridian City Gym Leader piled his boxes onto the moving van. "Things won't be the same without you."

"I think you'll only miss being able to enter my house whenever you want, but you won't actually miss me," grinned Green, ruffling the girl's hair. "Don't worry. You'll still have Daisy's and Gramp's house to break into whenever you want."

"I know, but it's just not the same," pouted Blue. "If you leave too, I'll be all alone. I wish Red was here."

Heaving the last of his boxes onto the van, Green slammed the doors shut and turned back to face the sapphire-eyed girl. With a small smile, he took something out of his pocket. It was a small crystal flower- his last keepsake from Red.

"Did you forget, Blue?" he asked. "Red is here."


End file.
